The best concerts in L.A. this November

Did this year’s Coachella catapult Sabrina Carpenter into the spotlight? Or was the onetime Disney Channel personality already on the precipice of pop superstardom? Ponder that as you wait in the ticketing queue for the “Espresso” singer’s three shows at the Crypto.com Arena and the Forum, which so far are the only L.A.-area stops on the “Short N’ Sweet Tour.”

With its tongue exercise of a title, the Tyler, the Creator–curated hip-hop fest returns to Dodger Stadium for two days of live tunes, carnival rides, games, food trucks and more. The 2024 lineup isn’t out quite yet, but last year’s edition included the Hillbillies (Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem), SZA and Tyler, the Creator.

A world of glam electro-pop anthems and and glittering costumes hits the Hollywood Bowl when the disco-inspired duo Empire of the Sun comes to town. Local duo Neil Frances opens with bouncy, psychedelic electronic pop beats.

Many band “disbandments” are followed by a triumphant return just a few years later, but still, it was a surprise when the dance-punk outfit came back so soon after its grand finale in 2014. That said, we’re sure glad James Murphy & Co. have stuck around since then—and that you can catch the seminal indie crew during a fall residency at the Shrine and Palladium.

Can’t get enough of his yearly appearance at the Bowl? The LA Phil wraps up its two-year John Williams at Disney Hall with a second season of live scores and concerts in his honor.  You can see a Williams-curated program of Mexican and Hollywood cinema scores (Oct 25–27, 2024); a selection of pieces from the entire Star Wars saga, hosted by C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels (Nov 21–24, 2024); a Williams-conducted evening with Yo-Yo Ma (April 3, 4, 2025); and a Gustavo Dudamel-conducted spotlight on Williams (April 5, 6, 2025).

Aussie psych-rock explorers King Gizzard geek out about mythological monsters and unconventional time signatures, creating songs that unfold like Heavy Metal magazine vignettes set to a trippy and technical soundtrack.

If you got it bad—a bad case of nostalgia for Usher in the wake of his Super Bowl performance, that is—then you’re in luck as the R&B singer is coming to town this fall. Yeah! Usher will play a run of shows at the Intuit Dome, the new Clippers arena in Inglewood.

In a world of lies (and, these days, alternative facts), the only thing we can rely on is Shakira’s hips. Watch them shake with precision when the Colombian superstar returns for a stop at the Forum.

The YouTube sensation has become a bona fide pop star thanks to a transition from delicate folk songs to soulful dance pop.

Danny Elfman returns to L.A.—but nope, it’s not for a Nightmare Before Christmas show (don’t worry, you’ll still hear songs from that). If you caught the composer’s previous Coachella or Hollywood Bowl sets then you have some idea of what you’re getting yourself into: a high-energy, all-over-the-place, metal-meets-classical concert that includes songs from Oingo Boingo, Elfman’s solo career and his most famous film and TV compositions, including Batman, Edward Scissorhands and The Simpsons.